Events and activities
- Upcoming events
- Organising an event
- Primary School workshops at the Pump Room Gardens - The Royal Leamington Spa Art Gallery and Museum run a schools programme involving workshops in the Art Gallery and Museum and the wider Pump Room Gardens area.
- Walking for Health - The Shrubland Strollers meet every Monday at the Brunswick Hub (98-100 Brunswick Street CV31 3BD) for a 12.00pm walk taking in the Pump Room Gardens. This is a great way to get more active and make new friends.
- Postcards for Home Competition
- BandStand Together
What to see and do
- Victorian Walter McFarlane Bandstand
- Heritage features including Linden Arches
- Recently installed Victorian style ‘Rain Garden’
- Historic York Bridge across the River Leam
- Orientation Point Artwork outside the Royal Pump Rooms
- Victorian style seating
- Toilet access and café next door at Royal Pump Rooms
- Leaflets about the Pump Room Gardens and the wider Spa Gardens are available at the Royal Leamington Spa Art Gallery and Museum next to the gardens
Leaflets
Download Pump Room Gardens leaflets:
History
The Pump Room Gardens opened in 1814. At first, they were private gardens for patrons visiting the adjacent Royal Pump Rooms. Visitors came to drink and bathe in the spa water, believing it had health-giving properties. They would then walk around the gardens for their daily exercise.
A number of events were held in the gardens, including military band concerts and flower shows. A famous tightrope walker, Charles Blondin, crossed the Pump Room Gardens in front of 7000 people in 1852.
In 1876, the gardens were opened to the public for the first time. Many improvements were carried out over the following decades. Flowerbeds were introduced and the existing bandstand installed.
The Pump Room Gardens are now a valuable area of open space for local people and visitors to the town. Along with the other Spa Gardens, they are Grade II listed on the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England.
In 2012, the Friends of the Pump Room Gardens raised funds to help the council restore eight Linden Arches which provide lighting along the avenues of lime trees.
Restoration project
The Pump Room Gardens have benefited from a £1.4m restoration to health. Almost £1m of funding has been received for this project from the National Heritage Lottery Fund Parks for People grant. Further contributions have been made by the Friends of the Pump Room Gardens and Warwick District Council. The total investment in the Pump Room Gardens will be £1.4m.
Pump Room Gardens restoration project
Further information and useful links
- Community engagement volunteers: Do you want to make a difference to your local community? Do you love being outdoors? Do you enjoy working with people? We are looking for volunteers to help people use and enjoy their local green spaces, including the Pump Room Gardens and other parks in the district. Community engagement volunteers.
- Park exercise permits: Organisations that are using the district’s parks and open spaces to provide group fitness activities are required to apply for a park exercise permit.
- Friends of the Pump Room Gardens website
- Filming: Find out more about what you need to do if you would like to film in the Pump Room Gardens.
Map
